Five Characteristics of Jesus, our Shepherd.

There are at least seven Hebrew names for God that are represented in Psalm 23. Since I was recently teaching a class on Poetical Books, I thought I would share them with you.

The first one is Jehovah Rohi: The Lord is my Shepherd. How is the Lord Jesus our Shepherd? Here are some ideas from Pastor John B. McDonald:

He sets limits. The sheep have a pen. And even when they leave the pen, they are not permitted to just wander wherever they want. Our good Shepherd sets limits for our good.

He shows the way. Differently than other types of shepherds, a shepherd of sheep goes in front. He provides the example for them to follow. This is one of the reasons Jesus came to earth: to show us the way to the Father.

He wants the best for the sheep. A shepherd guides the sheep into green pastures and quiet water. He doesn’t abandon them when they go through “the valley of the shadow of death.” Jesus promised never to leave us.

He is sacrificial. For the sake of the sheep, the shepherd goes through places and situations that are not pleasant for him. For example, when Jesus lived on earth, He was falsely accused several times and ended up being killed by the authorities. But he endured it all willingly for the provision of forgiveness of sins and for the Kingdom of Heaven to be established.

He values relationships. 1 John 10:11 says “I am the good Shepherd. I know my sheep and my sheep know me.” The Shepherd know us. He walks with us, communicates with us, consoles us, even prepares a banquet according to Psalm 23. We are not just bodies that exist to fulfill His will. He wants a relationship with us.

We are to imitate Christ (1 John 2:6). How are you doing in these areas?